PUEBLO, Colo. – Colorado State University Pueblo Baseball was held to four hits, including two doubles in falling 12-1 to Regis in Sunday's Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference series finale at Rawlings Field.
With the setback, the ThunderWolves fall to 13-13 overall and 3-5 in the RMAC, while Regis improved to 19-11 overall and 9-3 in the RMAC. The Pack split the weekend series with the Rangers.
After recording 26 hits and scoring 28 runs in splitting a doubleheader on Saturday, the Pack offense was held in check by Regis starting hurler Nick Jacobs as the right-hander tossed eight innings and allowed four hits and one run, while striking out six and walking one in his 110-pitch outing.
Meanwhile, Regis finished with 19 hits, including five extra base hits and scored two runs in each of the first three innings and then tallied six runs over the final three innings of the game.
Redshirt senior leftfielder
Christian Castaneda (El Paso, Texas/Otero JC) collected a single in the fourth inning to extend his hitting streak to 28 consecutive games dating to last season. Castaneda has now hit safely in all 26 games this season and is hitting .416 on the season.
In addition to Castaneda, freshman designated hitter
Noah Williams (Carson, Calif./Redondo Union), senior third baseman
Kysen Howard (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley Northwest) and sophomore outfielder
Logan Kelly (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Capistrano Valley Christian) each had a hit in the game.
Regis jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a homer by Garrett Rede and a RBI single by Jack Moulin off of freshman
Frank Flores (Colorado Springs, Colo./Air Academy), who was making his second start of the season.
The Rangers lead grew to 4-0 in the top of the second thanks to two hits and a Pack error.
Regis added two more runs in the third inning on an RBI double by CJ Difiglia and a RBI single by Ayden Harrison off of redshirt junior pitcher
Jacob Petersheim (Broadway, Va./Broadway), who replaced Flores on the mound in the second.
Castaneda extended his hit streak with a two-out single in the fourth. That was the first hit of the game for the Pack. Prior to Castaneda's single, Jacobs had retired 10 Pack hitters in a row.
Leading 6-0, Regis added a seventh run in the top of the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Peter Goldy and then used back-to-back doubles in the eighth to take a 9-0 lead.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Pack was able to get to Jacobs as Kelly reached on a two-out pinch hit double and scored one batter later when Williams drilled a double to right field to plate Kelly and prevent a shutout by Jacobs.
The Rangers would add three runs to its tally in the top of the ninth on an RBI pinch hit single by Zach Barnao and a 2-run single by Rede, who was 4-for-5 for the game with two runs scored and 5 RBI.
In the bottom of the ninth, the Pack put two runners on base, but Lucas Watson relieved Wyatt Sargent and struck the next three Pack hitters in order to seal the win.
Along with Rede's four hits, Clay Conn had three hits and scored two runs, while Difiglia also had three hits and scored three runs. Adam Paniagua and Maxim Fullerton each had two hits in the win.
Flores (0-2) pitched one-plus innings and allowed five hits and three runs, while Petersheim pitched a career-high 6.1 innings and allowed 10 hits and six runs (four earned), while striking out three and walking one.
Jacobs (3-1) tossed eight innings and allowed four hits and one run, while striking out six and walking one.
The Pack committed two errors in the game and left six runners on base, while Regis left 11 runners on base.
CSU Pueblo will return to action next weekend (March 28-30) as they travel to Lakewood, Colo., for a four-game RMAC series at Colorado Christian. The teams will begin the series on Friday, March 28 with a 3 p.m. game, before playing a doubleheader on Saturday, March 29 beginning at 1 p.m. and concluding the series with a single game on Sunday, March 30 at 12 p.m.
